Gordon Murray Tells Why the McLaren F1 Had a Center Driver’s Seat, and Other Secrets of the Supercar’s Design [Video]

Brian Silvestro

Aug 16, 2017

YouTube / McLaren Automotive

The legendary McLaren F1 turns 25 years old in 2017, and to celebrate the occasion, the company put together a neat little video featuring the car’s lead designer, Gordon Murray. He goes into detail about how the team behind the car used a racing mentality to break records and steal the hearts of enthusiasts everywhere.

In the four-minute clip, Murray explains that many of the “new” road-car technologies used in the F1 were borrowed from the state of the art in Formula 1 racing at the time. He points out, for example, that the main reason for the car’s iconic center driver’s seat wasn’t to make the driver feel special (although that was certainly a part of it). In truth, it eliminates the offset pedal box that forced so many drivers of other supercars to sit slightly crooked in the car.

Murray also points out that the F1 uses ram intake pressure to force air into the engine, just like on a Formula 1 car. This pressure was what allowed the car to hit the rev limiter on its top-speed attempt, forcing the team to remove the limiter and eventually achieve that fabled 242-mph run.